Across many countries of the world, higher education landscapes have changed significantly over recent years. Market mechanisms have become more prominent, and politicians have become increasingly concerned about graduates’ transitions into the labour market. In some nations, although not all, students are now expected to make a substantial contribution to the cost of their higher education and, across mainland Europe, the Bologna Process has reshaped the nature of students’ experiences considerably. This one-day conference seeks to explore understandings of students in this shifting context.

We’re pleased to announce that a new article from the project has just been published in the journal Compare. In it, we explore some of the dominant constructions of students that emerged from our analysis of higher education policy documents in the six European countries. We consider students as, variously, ‘objects of criticism’, investors or investments, and bearers of rights or duties. We also assess how students are positioned spatially and, in particular, the extent to which they are seen as Europeans. You can read the full article here.

We hope to include papers from all career stages and a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. It is intended that the papers will provide the basis for a proposal for a journal special issue.

The conference is being organised by the ‘Eurostudents’ research team: Rachel Brooks, Achala Gupta, Sazana Jayadeva and Anu Lainio.